30 Constellations

1. Auriga, the Charioteer – The celestial charioteer, Auriga, lacks both a chariot and a horse.
Instead, he's depicted as a man holding the reins in his right hand and carrying two baby goats in
his left arm, as well as a goat on his left shoulder — the star Capella — and a goat on his left
shoulder. In January and February, look for him soaring through the southern evening sky.
2. Aries, the Ram – Aries, the ram, is a faint pattern marked by only a couple of fairly bright stars:
Hamal, its brightest, and Sheratan, its second-brightest.
3. Aquila, the Eagle – Aquila glides on outstretched wings through the glowing band of the Milky
Way. Look for it high in the south in late summer.
4. Aquarius – Aquarius the water bearer is one of the most famous constellations. But few people
actually see it because it's so faint. It is home to the summer Delta Aquarid meteor shower,
which, like the constellation itself, is fairly thin and sparse.
5. Boötes, the Herdsman – The brightest stars of Boötes form a cone shape, with brilliant yellow-
orange Arcturus at the base of the cone. The name Boötes comes from a Sumerian word that
means "Man Who Drove the Great Cart." The "Great Cart" was the Big Dipper. Boötes trails the
Big Dipper as it wheels around the North Star.
6. Cancer, the Crab – Cancer plays a relatively small role in both sky and skylore. It is a small
constellation of faint stars, so it is difficult to find in the sky.
7. Canis Major, the Great Dog – Canis Major loyally follows its mythical master, Orion, across the
southern skies of winter.
8. Capricornus, the Sea-Goat – Capricornus, like all the zodiac constellations, has as many
mythological stories as it does stars. The constellation Capricornus is named after a Greek myth
in which the god Pan was transformed into a half-goat, half-fish when he dived into the Nile
River to flee the giant Typhon.
9. Cassiopeia, the Queen – Cassiopeia looks like a flattened "W" against the frothy background of
our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
10. Cygnus, the Swan – The brightest stars of Cygnus form a cross, so the swan is also known as the
Northern Cross. Find it soaring high overhead during late summer evenings.
11. Gemini, the Twins – Gemini is easy to find as it glides high overhead in mid-winter, above and to
the left of Orion. Its two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, represent the mythological twin
brothers of Helen of Troy.
12. Leo, the Lion – The zodiacal constellation Leo, the lion, is one of a handful of constellations that
really does look like its namesake. It consists of two patterns of stars that the brain puts together
to make a lion. A backward question mark represents the head and mane, and a triangle of stars to
the lower left forms the lion's hindquarters and tail.
13. Libra, the Scales – Libra represents a balance scale. The name may come from the fact that the
Sun passed across the face of the constellation at the time of the autumnal equinox in September,
when day and night are of roughly equal length, so the heavens are "balanced."
14. Lyra, the Harp – It's easy to find Lyra, the harp, by first finding Vega — one of the brightest stars
in Earth's night sky. Look for Vega high overhead in mid-summer. Lyra looks like a small,
lopsided square, with Vega just beside one of the corners of the square.
15. Orion, the Hunter – Orion is one of the most beautiful of all constellations, and one of the easiest
to find. It looks like a large rectangle high in winter's south-southeastern sky.
16. Pegasus, the Flying Horse – Pegasus is a large pattern of stars marked by a great square — four
bright stars that form the body of the winged horse.
17. Perseus, the Hero – Perseus, the hero, arcs high overhead in fall and early winter. Many of its
stars are immersed in the faint glow of our galaxy, the Milky Way. In fact, if you look at Perseus
under dark skies, you may be able to see three of the spiral arms that enfold the Milky Way.
18. Pisces, the Fish – In the lore of the sky, spring is associated with the constellation Aries, the ram.
Yet at the moment of the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the northern
hemisphere, the Sun actually stands within the borders of the next constellation over -- Pisces, the
fishes.
19. Sagittarius, the Archer – Sagittarius, the archer, slides low across the southern sky of summer.
Sagittarius is a centaur — a mythological half-man, half-horse — who has drawn his bow. His
arrow is pointing at Antares, the bright red heart of Scorpius, the scorpion. The archer is avenging
Orion, who was slain by the scorpion's sting.
20. Scorpius, the Scorpion – Three bright stars form the "head" of Scorpius, the celestial scorpion,
while its tail curves away below it in the southern sky of summer.
21. Taurus, the Bull – Taurus, the bull, is marked by a V-shaped pattern of stars that outlines the
bull's face. Bright red Aldebaran, the "eye" of the bull, stands at one point of the V. This pattern
is part of a cluster of stars called the Hyades — the second-closest star cluster to Earth. It consists
of several hundred stars that lie about 130 light-years away.
22. Ursa Major, the Great Bear — is always above the horizon in the northern latitudes, but the best
time to see it is in the spring when its high above the northeastern horizon. Ursa Major is best
known as the home of the Big Dipper.
23. Virgo – Virgo is the second-largest constellation -- so big that it takes about four hours for the
whole thing to clear the eastern horizon. To the unaided eye, though, that huge area is basically a
void, because only one bright star resides within its borders.
24. Crater, the cup – It is a small constellation covering an area of 282 square degrees. It ranks 53rd
in size among the 88 constellations in the night sky. It is bordered by the constellations Corvus,
Hydra, Leo, Sextans, and Virgo. The shape of this constellation does indeed resemble a cup.
25. Ara, the altar – Its name means “The Altar” in Latin. It is usually depicted as an altar with its
smoke rising to the south. It is an ancient constellation that has existed since the time of the
Babylonians. In Greek mythology, it represents the altar where the gods made offerings and
alliances before defeating the Titans. The altar was believed to have been built by the Cyclopes as
a place of sacrifice to the Olympian gods. It may also represent the altar where Centaurus the
centaur sacrificed Lupus the wolf.
26. Draco, the dragon – Draco held special significance in the past. About 4,000 years ago, it was the
location of the northern pole star, as Ursa Minor is today. Due to the Earth's wobble, or
precession, the pole has now shifted to the star Polaris. Draco is also the origin point for the
annual Draconids meteor shower.
27. Corona Borealis, the northern crown – This is an ancient constellation that has its roots in many
cultures. It has been depicted as a circle of elders, an eagle’s nest, and a bear’s den. In Celtic
mythology, it was known as Caer Arianrhod, the Castle of Arianrhod. It represented the home of
the Lady Arianrhod. In Greek mythology, it represented the crown that Ariadne, the daughter of
King Minos of Crete, wore at her wedding. Her ball of thread helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur
 and find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus gave her the crown when they married. The crown
was created by the supreme goldsmith of the gods, Hephaestus.
28. Telescopium, the telescope – It was named to honor the invention of one of the most important
pieces of equipment in astronomy, the telescope. Lacaille mapped the constellation during his trip
to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in 1751-1752. It represents an aerial telescope, a type
of refracting telescope that was popular at the time. This constellation was originally much larger
but was later reduced in size by astronomers Francis Baily and Benjamin Gould.
29. Crux, the southern cross – It is an easy constellation to identify, due to its obvious cross shape
and bright stars. Since the southern hemisphere does not have a bright star near its pole, Crux was
used by sailors as a navigational aid. They would draw a line using the stars in the cross in order
to determine the location of the south celestial pole, which is actually located in the constellation
Ocatans.
30. Lynx, the lynx – It was named Lynx because the stars were so dim one would have to have the
eyes of a lynx to see them. Lynx appears as a dim, bumpy line running just north of Leo and
Cancer. It is not known if Hevelius intended to associate any mythology with the constellation,
but there is one story that could be linked to the name. A sailor named Lynceus, who sailed with
Jason and the Argonauts, was said to have extremely keen eyesight. It was even said he could see
things underground. He was part of the expedition to recover the legendary Golden Fleece.